SM Investments Corporation says its retail operations delivered solid 6.5 per cent growth in the first three months of 2015.

Retail accounts for just 19 per cent of the diversified corporate’s business, with banking accounting for 41 per cent and property 40 per cent. The company delivered its first quarter results this week, reporting an 8.1 per cent increase in net income to P6.7 billion (US$150 million).

“We are focused on expanding all our core businesses given the favorable economic outlook. Our expansion plans are geared towards meeting the needs of under-served customers across the country and to positioning ourselves to compete effectively in each of our growing markets,” SM president Harley T. Sy said in a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

SM Retail’s turnover in the quarter was P44.9 billion ($1 billion) and its profit rose 6.5 per cent to P1.3 billion ($29.1 million).

The company opened 10 new stores in the quarter in the provinces of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. As at March 31, it operated 279 stores: 50 SM Stores, 40 SM Supermarkets, 43 SM Hypermarkets, 120 Savemores and 26 WalterMart stores.

Property division SM Prime Holdings, which owns shopping centres amongst other assets, recorded P16.7 billion ($374 million) in revenue, up nine percent quarter-on-quarter. Its net income soared 176 per cent to P12.6 billion ($282.3 million), including an extraordinary gain of P7.4 billion ($165.8 million).

SM Corp says its retail and commercial revenue grew 10 per cent to P9.4 billion ($210.6 million).